Rutherford posted 90 in that innings and got some valuable game time against England seamer Stuart Broad and spinner Graeme Swann.
He struck a couple of memorable blows against both bowlers, crashing a Broad delivery through point for six and using his feet to Swann to loft the ball down the ground for another six.
Rutherford is a young man with enormous talent who New Zealand cricket hopes has the potential to solve its endless quest to find a reliable opening batsman.
His strategy going into the first test is to keep things as simple as possible and just approach the game like any other. He shared a coffee with his mentor, former Otago and New Zealand opening batsman Craig Cumming, before the warm-up game against England and values his input.
"He has had a big influence on my game in the last year. Initially, he sort of helped me out with a few key things but lately it is just about the process of batting and getting in the right mindset and enjoying it."